By David Chapple In 1996, I had been out of college for about two years. I met my future wife Kate at the Pittsburgh Employment Conference (PEC) for augmentative communicators. The conference was for individuals who use communication devices. I was from Ohio and she was from Texas. Our eyes met and we just knew, it was lo...

By Laura Townsend Kane As a lifelong introvert, I have diligently avoided encounters with strangers, and have often fought back mini panic attacks at the thought of “small talk” at parties or gatherings. Being open with strangers does not come naturally to me. Oddly, this is the case for all of my immediate family me...

By Abigail Brown Sometimes when I get down about the things I can’t do on my own. Like having my very own car and be able to drive myself anywhere I want to go. Oh to have that independence, how I long for it. But I have come to the realization many times now that I’ll never probably have a car or even a drivers lice...

By Grant Ahner Adam is a good little brother. He is eight. He plays X BOX with me. We fight over the X BOX every week. He gets my Vantage Lite. He gets my iPad. Adam feeds me lunch. He likes to go fast on his four-wheeler. We go fast behind the greenhouse. Adam fixes my go-cart. He likes to shoot my M14 (it s...

By Keslie Levad Hello my name is Keslie. I am 18 years old. I use a PRC device. Imagine that you were the only person at your school with a communication device. Nobody else like you. How do you learn how to use a communication device? Where I grew up there was nobody else like me really. I grew up in a small little m...

By Lateef McCleod Lateef This summer I had a great opportunity to be a Storytelling Fellowship with Making Contact, which is a National Radio Program that plays on NPR and Pacifica Radio. During my fellowship with Making Contact I was tasked with producing a radio segment on the Augmentative Alternative Communication or A...